Take-up device for telephone, floor lamp, and other wires



June 28, 1932. ALLEN 1,865,069

TAKE-UP DEVICE FOR TELEPHONE, FLOOR LAMP, AND OTHER WIRES Filed Jan. 17, 1951 Patented June 28, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HAROLD ALLEN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

Application filed January 17, 1931. Serial a. 509,491.

My invention relates to improvements in take-up devices for telephone, electric lamp and similar wires or cords. 9

Briefly stated, the invention has for its 6 primary object to provide a novel and improved device of this character which will effectually take up and accommodate" the slack wire or cord of a telephone or floor lamp which usually reposes on the floor making an 10 unsightly appearance.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which will be compact in form, simple in construction and which eliminates the necessity for a reel or spool, thus, effecting a great economy in space and simplifying the attachment of the device for use.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a device for the purpose specified which includes what might be termed a mechanism compartment, and another compartment separate therefrom for accommodating the loose wire so as to obviate any likelihood of the latter becoming caught in the actuating mechanism.

The invention also resides in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of the various parts, and in certain modes of operation, all of which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference ing in connection with the detailed descriptive matter which follows.

It is to be understood that the drawingand this specification are directed tovwhat now appears to be a preferred form of the invention. However, it will be obvious that the invention is susceptible of other mechanical expressions within the spirit and scope of the 49 subject matter claimed hereinafter.

In the drawing, wherein the same reference characters have been used to designate the same parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating 5 a telephone and the application of my takeup device to the current supply cord, the telephone shown being an extension form and the bell box being eliminated;

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view 59 through the upper closure member, the parti to be secured to the wall or to the accompanying draw-' tion being broken to expose the mechanism,- and one of the gears being shown partly broken and partly in section;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 2, and

Figure a is a sectional lineA-t of Figure 2.

Referring specifically to the drawing, numeral 2 denotes a telephone instrument wh ch may be supported upon a shelf 3 and 60 which has the current supply cord or wire 4 leading from a bell box, not shown,-it being understood that in the particular instance the telephone is an extension phone and that the bell box will probably be in another room.

The wire or cord 4 from the bell box, not shown, is lead into the receptacle portion of my take-up device 5 and which portion accommodates the slack wire,-it being noted that the cord leads out of the compartmented or receptacle portion of my take-up, device through the eyelet or opening 6a to the telephone instrument.

1 Referring to Figures 2 and 3, my novel 7: device comprises a base 5a which is adapted any other convenlent point adjacent the telephone instrument.

A removable, receptacle-like cover 6 is-seso cured to thebase and provides the inlet and outlet eyelets or openings for the wire a. The openings 6a will preferably be in the form of notches cut in an edge wall of the member 6. 8

A cup-like gear 7 is journalled as at 7a upon the upper end of a fixed non-rotatable shaft 8, which is carried by the base 5a., A' coil spring 9 is anchored to the cup wall, as at 10, and has its other end anchored, as at no 11, to the fixed shaft 8,the function of the spring 9 being to normally resist movement of the gear 7 in the direction of the arrow in Figure 2.

The gear 7 has peripheral gear teeth mesh- A 55 view taken on the 'ing with the teeth of a pinion 13 on a shaft 12 which is journalled in the base 5 a,-such pinion 13 meshing with an adjacent pinion 15 on a shaft 14 likewise carried in the base 5a.

' her or other friction roller,theserollers being designated as at 13 a,'1 5a, respectively.

The rollersarepreferablyprovided with j j j N no electrical connection or any'kln'd between opposed peripheral grooves for impinging the wire 4 which is ada'pte'd to be passed therebetween at, a point adjacent; the outlet nctch 6a throughwhich the wire extends to the telephone instrument 2. H N A U As will be noted from an inspection of Figures?) and 4t the closurejmember ti has a i i thickened portion ,6]? providing 'bearlngs for the upper ends of the shafts 12, 1

The wire at the point of entry or adj .ent thereto is looped around a post 18 carried by the base 541 and which extends up jthrough the partition 16. A clampmember 19 which .may partake of any desiredform is carried by the partition 16 and adapted to be engaged with the cord'about the post :18 to hold the same against shifting, The intermediate length of wire or cord between the post 18 and the cooperating rollers l3 a 1 5a will assume the approximate sinuous form depicted in ;Figure 2, bnt since there is no gearing or other obstructions abovethe partition 16 the wire may simply lie naturally v in any.fo'rm upon suclrpartition without "any likelihood of tangling with operating "parts.

'The' closure member 6 will be deta chably maintained upon the base 5 by the cooperatihg lugandjspring latch members 21, 20 of which 'thel'atter is carried by the base 5a and the former by the wall portion of the c'lo siire 6, fObviously, the latch member 20 will yield under the cam action of the member 21 when the closure is put in place orpulled outwardly.

' From the foregoing description taken in icoiinection with the accompanying drawing,

the operation "of the de'vice, it"is believed.

will be manifest F or, instance when the telephone instrument islifted from the shelf ..3 and pulled outwardly, the coacting rollers 13a, 15a will be caused to rotate by reason of .the frictional engagementof the same with the cord 4. Manifestly, suche 'rotation,

through the gearings 13,15, 7 will placethe prin under. tension, lVhen the instrusmaller size than the actual size shown in Figures 2 and '3. Also, it will be evident that the device may have any desired shape being susceptible"of incorpor'ation for instance in the base of a lamp or beneath the shelf or table upon which a telephone is mounted.

It is understood, of course, that there is the take-up device and the telephone or wire also that the use of pig tail connections is eliminated and the wire [prevented from twisting and conforming itself t'o increase resistance. I

avi ng thus described my inv'eiiti'on, wliat I claim as newand desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. device of the class described comprising a base, a closure removably supported by saidbase and cooperating therewith to'pi'o vide a compartment, anchoring means within said compartment'for securing a wire that hasbeen lead thereinto, a'pair of op'posed" rotatable rolls adapted to frictionally engage a wire lead therebetween, a geared connection between said rolls, there being an outlet from said compartment for the wire passing between said rolls, and yielding meansassd' ciated withone of saidrollsand tending to prevent movement of the' rolls in a' direction to permit the paying'o ut of the wire through said last mentioned opening.

2. device of the class described compris- Q ing a base, a clo s'u re removably supported by said base and cooperating therewith to'pjro- Vide acompartment, anchoring iii'eanswi'thin said compartment for securinga wire that has been lead thereinto, a 'p'airof opposed rotatable rolls adapted to frictionally engage a wire lead thercbetween, a geared connection between said rolls therebeing an outlet from said compartment for the wirepassing between said rolls, yielding means associated with one of said rolls and tendingto' prevent movement of the rolls in' adirection to permit the paying out of the wire through'said last mentioned opening, and a partition supported in spaced parallelism to said base for providing a loose wire containingc'ompartment above said gearedc'onne'c'ti'on.

3. A device of the class described comprising a casing having an inlet and an'outlet for a wire, means for anchoringthe'wire adjacent said inlet, a pair of rolls'in 'said casing arranged adjacent one a'no'therf'saic wire being adaptedto pass between said rolls 1 ,1, and in frictional engagementtherewlth, a

driving connection between said rolls,"and

and extending parallel with said base member whereby to divide said chamber into upper and lower compartments, a pair of adjacent shafts having one end journalled in said base member and projecting through said partition, meshing gears carried by said shafts in said lower chamber beneath said partition, friction rollers carried by said shafts in said upper chamber above said partition, the peripheries of said rollers being in substantial contact, a drive gear operative-- ly engaging one of said aforementioned. tending to actuate said. said upper compartment having; outlet for a wire which is adapt gears, spring means drive gear, an inlet and ed to be passed through the space between.

said rolls in frictional engagement with the rolls, and means for anchoring said w1re in said upper compartment.

5. A device of the class described comprising a base member, a casing secured to said base member and having an inlet and an outlet for a wire, means for anchoring the wire adjacent said inlet, a pair of resilient rolls in said casing arranged adjacent one another, said wire being adapted to pass between said rolls in frictional engagement therewith, and means associated with one of said rolls and tending to actuate both rolls in a direction to draw the wire into said casing from said outlet, and interconnecting means for all of said rolls for positively driving both of said rolls.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

HAROLD ALLEN. 

